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a bowl of Kalua pork recipe garnished with green onions
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Kalua Hawaiian Pork

This Kalua Pork is ridiculously juicy, tender, smoky and salty but SO simple to make with just a few ingredients and minutes of prep.  This foolproof recipe is made by rubbing the pork with Hawaiian sea salt and spices, searing, drizzling with liquid smoke then letting the slow cooker, oven or instant pot do the rest of the work.  This Kalua Pork recipe is ideal for an easy prep-ahead dinner, stress-free entertaining or freezer meal that leaves you with melt-in-your-mouth pork and hardly any cleanup! Serve the succulent, spoon tender Kalua Pork plain with a side of coconut rice and pina colada fruit salad or it’s delish in sandwiches, burritos, salads, tacos and more!
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 12 hours
Servings 12 servings

Ingredients

  • 1 6 pound boneless pork shoulder or Boston butt roast, trimmed (see notes for different sizes)
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 1 ½ tablespoons Hawaiian Sea Salt or Himalayan Sea Salt - NOT table or kosher salt!
  • 1 ½ tsp EACH ground ginger, garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon pepper
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons liquid smoke (hickory or mesquite)

Instructions

  • Lightly spray the inside of a 6 quart or larger slow cooker with nonstick cooking spray, set aside.
  • Pat the pork dry with paper towels. Whisk the salt and seasonings together and evenly rub over all sides of the pork.
  • Heat 1 1/2 tablespoon vegetable oil over high heat in a large cast iron skillet. Using tongs or 2 forks, sear pork on all sides until browned. Transfer pork the prepared slow cooker. Brush liquid smoke over the seared pork.
  • Cover (without any liquid) and cook on LOW for 8 to 12 hours. You may cook it on high for about 5-6 hours but LOW is best. Cook until pork is fall apart tender and easily shreds with a fork. Make sure to check the pork at 8 hours then continue to cook if needed.
  • Once very tender, shred the pork and toss with the slow cooker juices. Turn the slow cooker to low (if it had been on high), cover, and continue to cook for 20 minutes.
  • Taste and season with additional salt to taste; the pork should taste borderline too salty. Garnish with green onions if desired and serve with rice or see post for side serving options and fun ways to use the shredded pork.

Video

Notes

For different size pork

Use the arrows next to the serving size to adjust the pork pounds up or down.  This will automatically change the spices and liquid smoke or use the following formula:
  • ¾ teaspoons coarse sea salt per pound (pounds x .75= teaspoons)
  • ¼ teaspoon pepper, ground ginger and garlic powder per pound (pounds x .25 = teaspoons)

Expert cooking Tips

  • Pork shoulder/butt: if you have a choice between the two, always choose pork butt.  It has more  marbling throughout the meat so it emerges more flavorful and tender.
  • Hawaiian Sea Salt: places like Whole Foods, Sprouts and World Market sometimes carry Hawaiian sea salt or you can purchase it on Amazon here. If you can’t locate Hawaiian sea salt, pink Himalayan Sea Salt is the best substitute - don’t use kosher salt or table salt because the grains are much finer and will make your pork too salty! 
  • Liquid smoke: is a very common ingredient and should be easy to find next to the barbecue sauces in your grocery store.  You can use mesquite liquid smoke if you already have it, but I find hickory to be the best in this recipe.  
  • Seasonings:  the Kalua Pig is seasoned with garlic powder, ginger powder and pepper.  These seasonings are not traditional so you don’t have to use them, but I think they make for the best Kalua Pork recipe.  They add subtle complexity of flavor while still allowing the salt and the smokiness to shine.
  • Banana leaves:  to more closely mimic the flavor of authentic Kaula Pig, you can wrap your pork in banana leaves after you sear it and add the liquid smoke. You can find banana leaves sold in the freezer section of most Asian markets. Banana leaves are pretty large, so cut them down into a few smaller pieces.  Wrap the pork layer by layer in the banana leaves and don’t be alarmed if a few of them split, just do your best to encase the pork.
  • Serving suggestions:  see the post for sides to serve with Kalua Pig and ways to use the shredded pork from tacos to burritos to pork and cabbage.

To cook Kalua Pork in the oven:

  • Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
  • Follow the recipe instructions up to adding the pork to the slow cooker. Instead, place the pork on a large piece of foil, large enough to wrap the pork up in.  Brush the seared pork all over with liquid smoke then wrap up in the foil. 
  • Place the pork on a rack in a roasting pan (or use halved onions to prop up if you don’t have one) with 1 cup of water in the bottom. Bake at 425 F for 30 minutes then reduce the temperature to 325 F and continue to roast for an additional 5-6 hours, adding additional water as needed so the water doesn’t dry up. Only check the water once an hour but don't stress it, it’s not the end of the world if you need to leave and it dries up.
  • Remove the pork once super tender, shred with two forks then toss with juices from the bottom of the pan.

To cook Kalua Pork in the Instant Pot:

I do not recommend the instant pot as you lose flavor, richness and tenderness, but it is okay if you adjust your expectations. 
  • Cut the pork into large chunks so it will fit into the instant pot. Season with salt, ginger, garlic and pepper.  
  • Heat 1 tablespoon vegetable oil on the sauté setting. Brown the pork chunks on all sides then remove the pork and turn the pot off. Add 1/2 cup water and 1 1/2 Tablespoons liquid smoke, stir and scrape up browned bits from the bottom of the instant pot. 
  • Return pork to the Instant Pot, cover, set the knob to seal. Cook on high pressure for 90 minutes (cook for 60 minutes if using a 4-pound roast). Once time is up, let pressure release naturally for 25 minutes, then manually release any remaining pressure and open.  Remove pork, shred, then toss with the liquid from Instant Pot and serve.

MAKE AHEAD

Cook the pork all the way through shredding.  Transfer the pork to the refrigerator directly in the ceramic crockpot insert or transfer the shredded pork in its juices to an airtight container in the refrigerator. The next day, warm the pork for 1-2 hours on low in the slow cooker or you can gently warm on the stove. Add a splash of water or chicken broth if it seems dry.

HOW TO STORE AND REHEAT

  • To store: transfer leftover Kalua Pig to an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days with any leftover juices.  
  • To freeze:  let the pork cool completely then transfer to a freezer safe container or portion it into smaller containers.  Thaw in the refrigerator overnight before reheating.
  • To reheat in the microwave:  warm the pork in the microwave for 1 minute then at 20 second intervals until warmed through.
  • To reheat on the stove:  heat a drizzle of oil in a large pot and rewarm the pork gently over medium-low heat, adding a splash of broth or water if the pork seems a little dry.
  • To reheat in the slow cooker: reheat in the slow cooker for 1-2 hours on low.